UNITED STATES—We’ve all encountered it, some of us more than others, but what do you do when you find yourself at a job that you no longer can tolerate? Well at some point you have to make a decision, either to continue dealing with the stress, the headaches and the frustration or make a decision that places you in a better mindset.
Perhaps it starts with working hours that seem to bounce daily, weekly or monthly. Maybe, its dealing with co-workers that continue to push you buttons, could be that the work you perform is no longer fulfilling, or worse you have that boss from hell.
I mean there are so many factors that can lead one to question rather they’re at the right place when it comes to their current job. For a lot of people, it becomes an issue of money. You can’t just quit a job you hate, without having a back-up plan, you have a family to support, you have to support yourself, and so you just bite the bullet because of those factors.
Making matters worse is having that daily encounter with your boss who finds a way to push your buttons more than you can imagine. Criticizing your work to the point that you question if you can do anything right, wondering rather they are just a bully for the sake of being a bully, or perhaps they are on a power kick.
Rather you have that job that requires you to go into the office place or perhaps you work from the comfort of your home office, stress can amount after a period of time, especially when all the factors begin to add up. The lack of pay becomes an issue, the fact that you can’t escape work even when you’re off of work, your pesky boss and the biggest factor of them all: you’re no longer HAPPY!
Emotion is tied to work, rather people think it is or not if you are emotionally connected to your work it can make it difficult or easier to bid farewell. For some people they react without reacting. It’s like that famous line from the movie “Network,” where broadcaster Howard Beale shouts, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore.”
Yes, we’ve all been there, we’ve all wanted to shout that line from our lungs to co-workers and the boss who so underappreciates all that you do. And it’s quite liberating when I think about it. Heck, perhaps saying that a few thousand times when you’re alone to unleash a bit of steam and stress will do most of us good from placing ourselves into a mental basket.
In my history of working, I have only resigned from two jobs: mainly because of the treatment that I suffered: lack of pay, no respect as an employee and the fact that the position was no longer fulfilling. I wasn’t able to reach that point where I felt the acceleration of my skills and contributions. With any job, most employees want four things in my opinion: work that is fulfilling, a decent income and a boss that respects your contributions and not working extensive hours. If you get to a point where more than 2 of these things are not fulfilled it becomes that much more difficult to stay at that job in my opinion. You can only fight the fight as long as your will power and mind will allow it.
I would argue that my parent’s generation and my parents parent’s generation would stick it out till retirement age, but millennials and the new generation are not willing to suffer for the sake of family and livelihood. Yes, my generation is a bit selfish. It’s unfortunate, but true. More people are taking action at what they consider ‘injustices’ at the workplace. However, I will pinpoint what I’ve said a trillion times: never quit a job without having a back-up already in place, it could be detrimental to your survival.